Method and apparatus for transferring containers



Dem 8,1925

' L564Al9 H. w. KIRCHNER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRINGCONTAINERS Filed Jan. 27; 1922 2 sneaksneet 1.

:\ I r -W.Kz'rchner 2 y M 'A-Zt) 1,564,419 H. w. KIRCHNER 4 METHOD ANDAPPARATUS Foa'mnusmname couums'ns mad 1am 27, [1922 -2 snaez-sneeg -2I72 ven 2'07 Hen ry Wffz'rchzz er Patented Dec. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES HENRY W. KIRCHNER, O]? ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFER/RING CONTAINERS.

Application filed January 27, 1922. Serial No. 532,245.

To all whom it may concern Belt known that I, HENRY WV. KmoHNnn, ac1t1zen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri,-haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Meth' ods and Apparatusfor Transferring Containers, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this application.

My invention relates to the transportation of merchandise and inparticular to the systems of handling merchandise in which it is shippedin containers loaded by the consignor and only unloaded by theconsignee; the merchandise during the shipment being transferred fromwarehouse to truck, to railroad car or barge, to truck and to deliveryterminal in the original containers.

Such a method of transportation and the containers used thereinare'illustrated in prior Patent No. 1,349,209, issued to me August 10,1920.

The object of my invention is to facilitate the transfer of thecontainers from the Warehouse to a truck, car or barge, and vice versa.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a selected embodimentofmy invention, I show my apparatus and method as applied to theunloading of a container from a truck to a warehouse, and in these draw-1ngs- Figure 1 is an elevation of the truck and inclined trackway lcadininto the warehouse which is sectioned to etter illustrate the operation.

Figure 2 is a view showing the manner of supporting the inclined track.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a detail of the transfer apparatus. a

Figure 4: is a view of the same detail looking .at right angles toFigure 3.

Figures 5 and 6 are, respectively, side and top views of the latch shownin Figure 4:.

The truck indicated at the right hand side of Figure 1 has a platform 1upon which are mounted the box-like containers 2 an 3. The warehouse 4is provided with a floor 5, at approximately the same level' as thetruck platform, althou h the-height of this floor is immaterial, andtially larger than the side or end of the a doorway substanlargestcontainers to be transported. An overhead track preferably consisting ofa single rail 6 is suspended from the ceiling 7 of the warehouseandvextends outwardly and downwardly therefrom, terminating preferablyin a horizontal portion spaced some distance from-the warehouse doorwayand a suflicient distance above the roadway to permit the movement of aloaded truck beneath the track. Mounted upon the track is a trolleycomprising wheels 9, a frame 10, a beam 11, and container engaging hooks12 and brackets 13. The hooks 12 are pivoted on the ends of beam 11 andlatches 14 are provided to engage the upper ends of hooks 12 to lockthem in vertical or inclined position.

The containers 2 and 3 are provided with upstanding cars 15 providedwith openings adapted to receive the inwardly bent ends of hooks 12, asindicated in Figure 1. Brackets 13 are adapted to engage the top of thecontainer, when hooks 12 are secured to the container ears, to preventtilting of the container on the trolley relative to track 6.

When the truck is backed into the position shown in Figure 1 asmanytrolleys as are necessary are run out to the end of the overhead trackand individually secured to the containers carried by the truck. Thetruck is then backed to the position indicated by the dotted lines inFigure 1. This movement of the truck carries containers 2 and 3 andtheir trolleys with the truck until one of the trolleys reaches theupwardly inclined portion of track 6. Continued horizontal movement ofthe container being due to the further backing of the truck causes thecontainer to be lifted from the truck platform as indicated at 16 and17, all, the load now being carried by the trolleys. When the truck haspushed the containers far enough for the trolleys to have reached theupper horizontal portion of the overhead track, the containers may bemanually pulled into the Warehouse and run through same and an openingon the opposite side and down a similarlv inclined track to a flat caror barge, or the containers may d be stored in the warehouse either byleavin," them suspended fromitrack 6 or by provi iu'g dollies such asindicated at 1B, in

which case the trolley may be disengaged and the container moved aboutthe warehouse,independentlyof the overheard tracks.

' It will be noted that the truck is provided with a pushing member 19adapted to engage the side of the container and positively move the samewhether or not the container is resting upon the truck platform. Memher19 is preferably provided with aroller 20 so as to offer the minimumresistance to the upward movement of the container when the incline inthe track is reached. It is obvious that by properly positioning thetruck, containers may be unloaded from the warehouse onto the truckwithout the use of a lifting derrick. Of couse a railway car or othercarrier may be utilized in combination with the warehouse and track inthe same manner as the truck shown.

Various modifications in the arrangement and in the details of myconstruction will be suggested and may be used without departing fromthe spirit of my invention, as expressed in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an overhead carrier device, a track, a trolley thereon, loadsuspending elements on said trolley, and a load engaging bracket rigidwith said trolley and adapted to contact with a load at spaced points toprevent tilting of the latter relative to said trolley.

2. In an overhead carrier device, a track, a trolley thereon, elementson said trolley for pivotally suspending a load, and depending membersrigid with said trolley located at opposite sides of the pivotal axis,provided by said elements, for engaging the load to prevent its tilting.

3. In combination, a carrier, an overhead track having an upwardlyinclined portion, a load engaging trolley mounted on said track andincluding pivoted hooks spaced transve:sely of said track and adapted toswing toward each other to engage a load, and means for locking saidhooks in load enga ing or disengaging position.

i. n combination, a truck, merchandise containers carried thereon, meansfor unloading said containers from said truck comprising an overheadtrack extending from said truck horizontally and upwardly, a

rigid container-suspending trolle on said track, and a member on saidtrucli adapted to engage a suspended container so as to push againstsaid container to move the same and said trolley along said track so asto lift the container from the truck.

5. In a load container suspending trolley, spaced wheels, a rigid framedepending therefrom, a pair of hooks for securing a container at spacedpoints, and a bracket extending transversely of the line between saidhooks and adapte to engage a container secured b said hooks to preventtilting of the container on the trolley.

6. In combination, a truck, means for unloading contairers from saidtruck comprising an overhead track extending from said. truckhorizontally and upwardly, and a member on said truck adapted to engagea container which is on the truck and is secured to said trolley and topush same and said trolley along said track, thereby lifting thecontainer from said truck, said member being provided with anti-frictionelements to eliminate resistance to the rise of the container whenengaged therewith during the pushing operation.

7. In a load container suspending trolley, a rigid frame, a pair ofhooks pivoted on said frame and extending rearwardly therefrom andtoward each other, and releasable means for ,positively holding saidhooks either in container engaged or in container disengaged position.

, 8. In an overhead transfer container for merchandise containers, atrack, a traveling trolley mounted on said. track at spaced points toavoid tilting thereon and including rigid frame members extendinglongitudinally and transversely of the track, container.

suspendin elements at theends of one of said mem ers, and containerengaging elements at the ends of the other of said members.

signature this 24th day of January, 1922.

HENRY W. KIRCHNER.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my I

